Kelsea LOOK AT HER NOW!

COUNTRY SUPERSTAR KELSEA BALLERINI FOUND STRENGTH IN HEARTBREAK-AND MADE VULNERABILITY HER SUPERPOWER

- By JEFF NELSON

Kelsea Ballerini is twirling around as her photo shoot draws to an end, her fringed gold skirt catching the light of the Brooklyn sun as she sings and dances along to “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain—an artist she’s looked up to her whole life. Just the night before, Ballerini quoted the icon’s hit song at the Prudential Center in nearby Newark, cheekily saying, “Let’s go, girls!” to an audience of around 17,000 fans (mostly women, children and gay men) before launching into a set list packed with tear-jerking ballads and empowering anthems. “It’s always been at the top of my bucket list to tour arenas,” says Ballerini, 31. With her dream well underway (she’s played to sold-out crowds in Nashville, Los Angeles, Boston and more in 2025) and a coaching seat on The Voice, Ballerini is achieving goals she’s had since she burst onto the scene more than a decade ago. She’s the first to acknowledge she overcame plenty of lows along the way: mental health struggles, an inner saboteur that cut down her confidence, and a painful public divorce. But she’s put in the work—and Ballerini is eager to help others feel less alone, especially through her brutally honest music.

Healthier than ever after years of therapy—and with a new love, Outer Banks actor Chase Stokes, by her side—Ballerini is on top of the world, professionally and personally. “I had to shed some skin and make some tough choices and know that although things would be difficult for moments, it would make things so much better in the long run,” says the country superstar, who’s nominated for Entertainer of the Year at the 2025 ACM Awards. “I think it’s running toward things that scare you and standing up for things you believe in and doing it all unabashedly. That’s really been the biggest change in my life, just going, ‘Rip the Band-Aid.’ That’s what I credit being happy and steady to.”